Underneath It All: Sky and Syd
by PrincessBellePrinceAdam
Summary: [SPD] My own set of challenges for the blue and pink rangers of SPD. SkyxSyd
1. Watch Over Me

Notes: Well, I love these little theme challenges so much that I came up with a list of my own challenges, heh. There are ten, so enjoy them, OK? I'd love some feedback, so press the little button and leave me a review, if you please.

Underneath It All: Sky and Syd

Disclaimer: How doest thou not know this already?

Challenge: Watch Over Me

Timeframe: During Walls when Sky and Syd were guarding the diamonds

He needed _someone, _for God's sake. He needed someone to talk to and vent to and someone to lean on. He needed someone to comfort him and hug him. That someone might as well be her.

And so she kept on at her job, resolute in her self-imposed mission. She'd get him to relax a bit, to smile and laugh. And that was why she'd volunteered her services to Jack, under the pretense of guarding the diamonds.

Syd knew that to the others she came off as a ditz; it was something of a tradition for the pink ranger to be a damsel in distress. She knew she could be petty sometimes, and she knew that she whined a bit more than was really necessary. But Syd wasn't the pink fairy tale princess everyone thought she was. She was more than that, much much more than that.

He told her everything, eventually, if she coaxed him to it properly. And so she tossed a diamond at him gently, knowing that it would irritate him. She continued throwing diamonds at him, getting him so annoyed with the chucking of reflexive rocks and the mocking tone she imitated him with that he stomped over and dumped the contents of his water bottle over the top of her head.

She shrieked indignantly and then told him he looked better with the smile on his face, which brought the scowl back. But then she perched next to him and all of his troubles came tumbling out one at a time. She listened carefully, mewing offerings of sympathy to her blue ranger and then Jack called on the morpher, ending the chat.

But then as they got into the jeep, Sky on the driver's side and Syd on the passenger, he smiled again and thanked her for always looking out for him.


	2. Princess

Underneath It All: Sky and Syd

Disclaimer: How doest thou not know this already?

Challenge: Princess

Timeframe: Post Endings

"So, what do you think the baby will be, a boy or a girl?" Z asked her friends, perching on the arm of a chair in the waiting room, a mug of cocoa in her hands.

"A boy," said Jack and Syd's father, Carter, together at the same time Ally and Dana declared, "A girl."

Z laughed. "You're the tiebreaker, Bridge," she told him, one hand ruffling his hair affectionately.

"Sorry guys," said the former green ranger, "But Sky needs a baby girl he can spoil rotten."

"I agree," said the voice of Sky's mother as she came striding down the hall. "Any news? How's Sydney doing?"

"She was at eight centimeters the last time Sky came out her," said Jack. "He kept sitting down and jumping up, like he was trying to sit on a porcupine."

Jen chuckled. "That's my son for you."

Then the door opened and Sky came out, the proud grin of a new father on his face. "It's a girl."

Ally and Dana exchanged quick high fives before turning back to Sky. "When can we see her?" questioned the former pink Lightspeed ranger.

"A few minutes. Syd wants family first, though," Sky added to his teammates.

Then a doctor made his appearance. "Mr. Tate, the first group of visitors can come in now."

Still beaming, Sky followed the doctor into the room, beckoning to his in-laws and mother to follow him. "Hi baby," he greeted to Syd. "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine, Sky," assured Syd softly. "Hi Mom, Daddy. Aunt Jen, I'm so glad you could make it."

"Of course," Jen said. "She's precious, Sydney. Gorgeous."

Syd looked up from her squirmy infant and smiled. "Thank you. Who wants to hold her first?"

"I do," said Dana, taking a seat beside her daughter. "What did you name her?"

"Kristin Skylar," said Sky, squeezing his wife's shoulder. "It was Syd's idea." Here she leaned in close to her husband, just watching her parents and Aunt Jen admiring the newborn baby girl.

"Our little princess," Syd said, and Sky agreed.


	3. Rain

Underneath It All: Sky and Syd

Disclaimer: Not until I take over the world.

Challenge: Rain

Timeframe: Somewhere before Endings

"It's raining, Sky," Sydney chirps to her friend, poking him in the arm. "Come on already. Let's go play in the rain like when we were little."

Sky looks up from his model airplane and directly into the pink ranger's beautiful blue eyes. They are simply begging him to play with her, to spend some quality time together, and Sky feels his resolve soften. "Alright, Sydney," he answers, attempting to sound as if he is only indulging her to make her quiet. Really he wants to, but he doesn't want her to know that.

She squeals and kisses his check, and is off to find her pink plastic raincoat. Syd returns a moment later, dressed in her coat already and holding a blue one for him. He thanks her and bundles himself into it.

Syd holds his hand all the way through the academy, pretending to be dragging him. Honestly she just wants the excise to hold his hand, and the feeling of their fingers laced together is almost too much for her.

Then they are outside and are instantly soaked through to the bone. Syd giggles and climbs atop the cement fountain. "I'm singing in the rain," she tells him in her musical voice, eyes alight with mischief and utter delight at being in the rain with Sky. Syd has always loved rain. Secretly Sky is fond of rain as well.

His first kiss had been in the rain, and it had been with Syd. He knows it had been a sort of accident, that she hadn't meant to, but every time it rains he is reminded of it and he cherishes the memory.

"You're quiet," she observes as he sinks down onto the edge of the fountain, his plastic raincoat protecting the pants of his uniform.

"Just thinking," Sky tells her.

"Remember when we kissed in the rain?" Sydney asks, folding herself down next to him. "I was ten and you were eleven, and we were at my house goofing around."

"You came to hug me," he continues, "And leaned in a little too close. It just happened, and we took an oath not to talk about it anymore."

"We were silly little kids," she noted, cuddling against his side. His arms lock around her automatically. "Imagine not wanting to talk about kissing the studly blue ranger."

Sky releases a bark of laughter. "Yeah. We were weird."

Her head is on his shoulder now, breathing in his clean boy scent, and her crystalline eyes are shut. "We could try again," she suggests a moment later.

Before he even has time to consider her offer, her mouth is pressed against his in a strawberry flavored kiss. He kisses her back, unaware that through the window in the rec room, the red, green and yellow rangers are watching with smiles on their faces. And when they pull apart and he looks up and notices his nosy teammates, he pulls Syd closer and kisses her again.


	4. Memory

Underneath It All: Sky and Syd

Disclaimer: Not mine until I take over the world.

Challenge: Memory

Timeframe: Post Endings

She was gone now. It hurt to breathe without her. It hurt to be the one still breathing, when he knew that she couldn't. He wanted to just curl up in a ball in their bed and stop dealing with the world. He wished it had been him who had died in the battle. He wished that she hadn't loved him enough to take the hit for him.

Sky was alone now. So terribly alone. No one understood what he felt, his mother told him that she understood; she tried to console her son. But she didn't know. She didn't hold her husband in her arms as he died. He didn't tell her to be strong for her and not to cry. His last word wasn't her name.

But Sky went through all of that. Syd was cradled in his arms as she died in agonizing pain. Sky's tears dripped down onto her lovely heart shaped face. Syd told him to stop crying and to please, please, be strong for her. To be strong for their baby girl. Syd's very last word had been Sky's name.

And Kristin. His poor little motherless baby girl. Explaining to her what had happened to her mommy was the hardest thing Sky had ever had to do in his twenty-six years. To watch Kristin's sweet little face (still chubby with baby fat, as she was only three years old) crumple up and turn red as tears poured out of her blue eyes was too much to bear. He'd pulled his daughter into his arms, holding her close, crying with her.

"It's OK, baby. Daddy's here. Daddy's here," Sky had whispered to his little girl. But he knew it wasn't OK, that without Sydney in their lives nothing would ever be OK again.

So he did the only thing he could do: he retired from active ranger status. He retired from SPD end of story and set about learning the secrets of how to run a multibillion dollar conglomerate. He had to be strong for his daughter now. He was all Kristin had now. And his poor baby girl didn't like to leave his side now, she was so afraid of losing him too.

And she was here at his side now, visiting Sydney's grave. It had been almost a year, and Kristin would be starting kindergarten soon. He gave her a bouquet of roses to put by her mother's tombstone, and she did. She was crying now, and so was he.

Sky knelt down beside his baby girl. "Honey," he whispered to her, hugging her close. "Mommy wouldn't want you to cry. Mommy would want you to smile and be happy. You know that." He wiped her tears away and then she gave him a faint smile and did the same to him.

"Come on Daddy." She tugged at his hand, reminding him of her mother. Sydney always did that with him, ever since they were children.

Kristin didn't know it, but she was keeping her mother's memory alive, and for that Sky could not love his baby girl any more than he already does.


	5. Falling

Underneath It All: Sky and Syd

Disclaimer: Oh, how I wish I was in charge…

Challenge: Falling

Timeframe: Post Endings

Sky hated to admit it, but he was falling for her. And hard. It simply wasn't fair for her to be so charming and ultra feminine. Why did she have to wear perfume that smelled of lilacs? Why did she have to flirt with him in whatever attempts she was making to get him to do something for her? Why did he just want to take her in his arms and kiss her until the world ended.

It simply wasn't fair.

Of course, social butterfly Sydney Drew wasn't content to flirt with just one man, especially one that didn't return the offers and suggestions she made. So she would casually toss her blond curls in a male cadet's face or kiss his cheek. Sky noticed she did this only when he could clearly see what was going on. This was obviously her way of trying to make her jealous.

He wasn't going to fall for her tricks. He wasn't going to succumb to her feminine charms. No, sir, he was not.

But the problem was that Sky _was_ falling for Syd. And he knew it, and she knew it, and most likely all of SPD knew it. Hell, every citizen New Tech City probably knew it.

So when Syd kissed his cheek good night (Sky had also noticed he was the only one to receive a good night peck every single night), Sky gently grabbed and held on to her wrist to keep her from leaving him.

She looked at him quizzically. "Did you need to talk to me about something?"

But her question barely registered with him. He was too busy trying to work out exactly what he was about to do. He wasn't going to fall for her and then not tell her, no matter how stupid he'd feel after it was over.

And then Sky pulled her into his arms, holding her close. He took a deep breath and then pressed his lips to her.

"Yeah, I did need to talk to you about something. I fell for you."


	6. Touch

Underneath It All: Sky and Syd

Disclaimer: Oh, how I wish I was in charge…

Challenge: Touch

Timeframe: Post Boom

She ran to him and threw her arms around him tightly. She needed to know that he was really there, that he was really home. That he was safe in her arms, where she'd never let anything hurt him.

"Oh Sky," she whispered to him softly. "Oh Sky."

He blinked and looked down at the top of her golden head. He was stiff in her embrace, her arms wound tight around his midsection. He wasn't quite sure what to do.

"Syd," he said gently. "I'm fine. Everything is just fine. I'm not hurt or anything. Can you let go of me already?"

Sky glanced around the room for help from his teammates, but all of them had gone. He made a mental note to chew them out for leaving him here alone with an overly zealous, overly affectionate Sydney. She had not released him yet and didn't seem to be even considering doing so in the near future. She had buried her face in his chest and didn't want to be coaxed out of her hiding spot.

"I know you're fine, Sky," she said against his body, her musical voice muffled. "I was just so worried about you. What if I had never seen you again? Do you know how hard that would be for me?"

Could this admission possibly mean what Sky secretly dared to dream it meant? Could it be that he meant as much to the lovely Sydney Drew as she did to him? Was this a confession of adoration, of devotion, of (dare he think it) love? Suddenly knowing what he had to do, Sky wrapped his strong arms around her in return, one hand rubbing small circles on her back.

"I don't see you suffocating Jack," remarked the blue ranger casually.

"I don't care about Jack the way I care about you, Sky. You're my whole world, and I know you know it. You've been my best friend my whole life, and I can't stand to think of living without you."

"_Take that, dreadlock boy,"_ thought Sky. "Aw, come on Syd. You sure you're not just a little over emotional?"

Sydney shook her head. "I'm not over emotional, Sky. You know how I feel about you; don't deny it." She looked up at him, and it pained Sky to see her blue eyes rimmed in red.

He was tired of denying it to his mother, to his teammates, to himself. He was in love with her, and she had practically spelled it out that she returned his feelings, and Syd was right, they couldn't live without each other any longer.

There was only one thing to do, and that was to touch his lips to hers. They kissed for some time, locked in the other's arms, exploring the other, enjoying the other's touch. And when Syd pulled away from him first, there was another touch to delight in, and that was the touch of intertwined fingers as the two strode through the halls of SPD.


	7. Escape

Underneath It All: Sky and Syd

Disclaimer: Insert something witty and funny here.

Challenge: Escape

Timeframe: Somewhere before Endings

Being with her helped Sky to escape. She was upbeat and fun, peppy and playful. And even if it was only for a little while and there was never a time scheduled for it to be just them, Sky felt as if just being close to Syd made him invincible, made him the luckiest guy in all of the world.

So when he got a chance for it to be just them he usually jumped at it, even if he complained and acted as if she were only a terribly heavy burden to him. She knew she wasn't, that that quite honestly he was really in love with her, and so she would usually just tease him a little bit.

But it was always an escape for Sky, as if just sitting in an ice cream parlor watching Sydney nibble at an ice cream sundae was a portal to another world, another world where Sky was just as peppy and perky as Syd, one where they were together in a romantic sense, one where there was no Gruumm trying to take over or duties or anyone else to come in between them.

It was always a sweet little vacation for him, and he liked that there was never a pre-arranged time slot for it to be just the two of them hanging out. The rest of his life was neat, tidy, orderly. But being with Sydney was spontaneous, and they never came up with a specific agenda. With Syd, whatever happened just happened.

And he needed the escape.


	8. Starry Night

Underneath It All: Sky and Syd

Disclaimer: Insert something witty and funny here.

Challenge: Starry Night

Timeframe: Post Endings

"Starlight, star bright," Sydney Drew said to him, her eyes turned up to the inky blue-black sky.

"Wish I may, wish I might," he replied, completing the old rhyme from their childhood together. Next to him, she sighed contentedly, perfectly at peace with the world.

On the blanket the two were lying on, Sky moved his hand to hers, lacing their fingers together gently. She looked rather pleased at this affectionate gesture and scooted closer to him.

"Are the stars out tonight? I can't tell if it's cloudy or bright…" she sang softly. He felt her gaze on him and he knew she wanted him to finish up the old tune.

"Because I only have eyes for you," Sky hummed to her, and she giggled.

"Why thank you," Syd murmured, and then snuggled all the way up against his body and rested her head on his chest. "Your heart is beating," she announced after a moment.

"And all this time I thought I was dead," Sky shot back. "Honestly…your heart is beating…"

Syd laughed again. "I like the stars, Sky," she chirped. "They're so beautiful and sparkly…I wish there would be a shooting star so I can wish for something."

"Can't help you there. What would you wish for though?"

"If I told you then I can't get my wish to come true, even if there were ten shooting stars out tonight. You're so silly, Sky," Syd told him, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Fine, fine, I'm sorry I asked."

"You're forgiven!" Syd chirped. She burrowed her head into his chest, hiding her lovely face. Sky let go of her tiny hand and wrapped his arms around her.

"Syd, look," Sky whispered to her. "It's that shooting star you wanted."

Sydney looked up in delight, her face beaming. "Oh Sky," she uttered quietly as if he had put it there, and then shut her eyes, evidently making her wish."

"You know, Syd," he began when she opened her eyes again. "There's something I want to ask you."

"Of course. Go right ahead."

"We've been seeing each other for a while now, and I wonder if you might…"

"Yes, Sky?"

"I wondered if me and you, that is to say, us, could be, well, exclusive."

"As in no one else."

Sky nodded. "Yeah."

"I honestly can't think of anything I'd rather be than your girl, Sky," Sydney answered. Before he'd even had time to process her response, his pink ranger had kissed him.


	9. Playful

Underneath It All: Sky and Syd

Disclaimer: #Consults# her lawyer# Nope, not mine.

Challenge: Playful

Timeframe: During Reflection Pt One in the park. Syd's POV.

Why's he acting like this with her? I mean, I'm the one who really cares about him. I'm the one who's been there all his life, trying to be a rock for him to lean on the way he's a rock for me. Not Z. She can't claim any of that stuff. So why is he…flirting…with her?

It's so unfair. She thinks she can just waltz into SPD, become a ranger, and then steal my man? Oh no. I'm not going to let her do this. I've had my eye on Sky Tate since I was two years old, and I'm not letting him get away. I won't let him be stolen from me, either.

But he looks so happy. He almost never looks happy. I thought I was the only one who ever made him look like he didn't have a care in all the world. And I really hate that Z can, apparently, make him enjoy himself for once in his by-the-book life. I really do.

I made a comment about Sky looking like he was having a good time just hanging out and playing Frisbee, and of course Z has to put her two cents in.

"I just wish Sam were here to enjoy it," she said. How could she think about Sparky the nightlight when Sky Tate, stud extraordinaire, is still playfully keeping the Frisbee away from her? I know if I were getting that kind of attention from Sky I wouldn't be worrying about anyone but him.

As if I even think about anyone else but him.


	10. Protection

Underneath It All: Sky and Syd

Disclaimer: #Consults her lawyer# Nope, not mine.

Challenge: Protection

Timeframe: Somewhere before Endings, I suppose.

There was just something about her that made Sky want to protect her. He just wanted to be the one who pulled her from harm's way to hold her and tell her he was going to make everything better for the two of them so they could finally have what they needed: a home in a safe world and each other.

But she made it confusing. There were times where Sydney definitely portrayed the damsel in distress, as was in a pink ranger's job description, and Sky had rushed in to be her knight in shining blue armor. And then there were times when she kicked evil's ass so thoroughly that Sky kicked himself for even thinking that she needed to be rescued by anyone, especially him.

At the same time, she still had this innocent quality about her person. Perhaps it was just that she looked every inch her nickname of SPD princess, all luxuriously soft, shiny blond curls; big blue eyes; tiny, delicate hands. She looked like a porcelain doll, far too precious to be out on the battlefield with a bunch of evil Troobian warriors, and Sky sometimes wondered what Carter and Dana had been thinking by allowing Syd to join the academy.

If he were to ever tell Syd of his theories of her needing him to protect her, he wondered what she would think of them. Did she even want him the way he wanted her? Did she want him thinking about her almost obsessively the way he did?

Would she want him to protect her the way he wanted to, more than half knight in shining blue armor, half I'm-Sorry-For-Even-Thinking-About-It,-Please-Don't-Hurt-Me?

And so, afraid of what her reactions to his theories (if you could call them that, anyway) he protected her about half of the time when she needed someone. He left the rest of it up to her, and that was probably how she wanted it anyway.


End file.
